


Hashtag Murphy’s Law

by Snowflurryflake



Category: SKAM (TV)
Genre: 5+1 Things, Evak - Freeform, Five Times, Fluff, How they could have met, Humor, M/M, au-ish
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-02-05
Updated: 2017-06-05
Packaged: 2018-09-22 05:49:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,300
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9586559
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Snowflurryflake/pseuds/Snowflurryflake
Summary: Or Five Times Things That Can Go Wrong, Go Wrong – and One Time They Really Don’tPoor Isak, right?Nah.





	1. Paper Napkins

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm infected by EVAK. They're just so inspiring! And adorable.  
> Anyway, so I just sat down today and started writing. And whatever this is - it's surprisingly funny to write.

**Hashtag Murphy’s Law**

_Or Five Times Things That Can Go Wrong, Go Wrong – and One Time They Really Don’t_

 

One – Paper Napkins

Today… today was one of those days. Isak didn’t know whose day it was, but it most certainly wasn’t his. It’d be pointless to list all the misfortunes that had already happened to him that day, but to top them all – the damn cherry on the fucking cake or… you know, in this case, the jelly on his pancakes – some dick just ran into him, barely mumbling a half-hearted _Sorry_ , and left him with a fairly serious catastrophe on his light gray hoodie.

Now Isak was standing in the middle of the cafeteria and watched with morbid fascination how the red jelly stain became even worse as the pancake of doom slithered dramatically down his belly and fell to the ground with a splashing thud.  

 _Awesome_.

For a minute or two, all he could do was staring at it with disdain while ignoring the not so discreet snickering around him. Then, when he finally was able to move again, he blindly pushed his plate with the remaining two pancakes back onto the counter and reached for the stack of paper napkins that usually rested next to the register.

However, to his utter confusion his fingers found…none. The little box, which he could have sworn had held at least hundred white napkins mere moments ago, was now empty.

“What the…?” He turned around his own axis once, but before he could express his confusion – and annoyance, let’s be honest here – any further, there was a voice stopping him dead in his tracks.

“Oi, that doesn’t look good.” It sounded casual, innocent even. Yet, Isak was frozen on the spot, his eyes huge and his mouth agape, because there was _nothing_ casual (or innocent) about Even Bech Næsheim. Since, well, he was just the most beautiful boy at the whole school, obviously, thank you very much. He was also kinda the boy Isak might or might not have had a slight (or massive, who are we kidding) crush on. Ever since he had laid eyes on him for the very first time almost two months ago, Isak found himself more than just a bit interested in and possibly to some degree obsessed with the new student. By now he had learned that Even was a third-year, that he had transferred to Nissen on the first day of school, and that he was passionately into movies, whatever that meant.

And yes, Isak also knew his full name, although they had never ever exchanged so much as a _Halla_ before. That wasn’t weird. At all. (Or maybe a little.)

“Uhm…” _Damn, get a grip, Valtersen,_ he scolded himself.

Even raised his brows and Isak’s attention was immediately drawn towards his amazing bright eyes – clear like the sea and blue, green, grey, or all at once? – which _either way_ were shimmering with mirth and amusement.

_Stop staring and say something!_

“Ugh…” _Something smart!!_

“What…?” _You’re…a hero._

Except it didn’t seem to bother Even in the slightest if his smirk was any indication. Patiently he nodded towards Isak’s hoodie. “The jelly stain. Doesn’t look good. You should try to clean it up a bit.”

“Yeah, well, I would…” _A bit high-pitched maybe, but good start, keep going._ “But some jerk took all the napkins, god knows what for!” _And we’ve got a complete sentence, hallelujah!_

“I see.” Even smiled in understanding and Isak desperately pressed his lips together to stop a sigh from escaping his throat.

“It’s your luck then,” the oblivious boy continued. “That I just happened to pass by to come to your rescue. Here, take those.” And with that Even reached for Isak’s wrist – _What is air? But then the younger boy had stopped breathing altogether, anyway_ – and pushed something soft into his hand.

Isak’s gaze fell down on the white paper napkin, though before he could even remotely begin to comprehend what was going on, there was another one, and another, and another. While the napkins were piling up in his palm, his eyes followed Even’s hands to where they magically produced them out of his jacket pockets.

Pockets that were overstuffed with napkins.

_The fuck?_

“The fuck?”

Even tilted his head, those sinful lips showing a small grin that made Isak’s knees deliciously wobbly, and _winked_. In a very strange, unsuccessful way, which shouldn’t be a turn-on? And yet Isak was fairly sure that there were butterflies dancing samba in his stomach.

“You’re welcome.” Even said in English, and with a nonchalant wave he added, “See ya.” Only to turn around and saunter away.

“Hey man,” Jonas appeared next to him with a questioning look, and Isak almost startled with a squeal. Almost. “What was that about?”

Shaking his head (and with shaking hands), he started to rub the wadded paper against the cursed piece of clothing. “I have absolutely no idea.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What do you think? Should I continue this?


	2. Locker Trouble

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm having a ridiculously busy week, but because of you adorable puppies I tried my best to finish the next chapter quickly. Thank you so much for your comments!! I'm living for them!

Two – Locker Trouble

It was an old story by now, though sadly enough it wasn’t a good one.

With something that couldn’t be described as frustration anymore, Isak glared at his locker. It was locked.

 _Fuck_.

You know, technically, Isak was aware that it was the purpose of a locker. To keep things locked inside. However, in this specific moment he needed the locker to be _unlocked_ as he was desperate to free his biology book. See, there was a small possibility he might have forgotten about the test they were supposed to write the very next day – thank God for Sana who had given him a ‘friendly’ reminder – and so it was kind of essential to take that silly little bundle of knowhow home with him.

When all glaring, cursing, and jolting didn’t do anything good, Isak let his forehead sink against the mint-colored metal with a miserable sigh. He just wished he could stop being so scatty, having brought that particular attribute to new heights lately, much to his own dismay. In his defense one should put on the record though that Isak had quite the good reason to be absentminded. And that reason was incredibly handsome, had turned his head repeatedly and was haunting his thoughts ever since that napkin nonsense nearly two weeks ago.

His latest encounter – wait, no, that wasn’t right; trying not to get caught staring for more or less two months didn’t meet the definition – his first _face-to-face_ encounter with Even had left him confused beyond doubt and made his heart flutter ridiculously in his chest whenever he replayed it in his head.

That boy… was something. Needless to note that his awareness of said boy had exponentially gone through the roof and it was putting him on the edge constantly. It was tiring (and a tad exhilarating).

Isak was about to drown himself in self-pity some more, when suddenly a shadow fell over him right before a scent hit his senses that turned his insides into pure fuzziness. He sucked in a deep breath, for one because _how the hell could he not?_ And also as a weak attempt to calm his nerves until he was finally ready (he was not) to face the force of nature that was Even Bech Næsheim.

There he was, in all his glory. And there it was, that half-smile which… – you know what, it beggared all description what that smile was doing to Isak.

“Hey.” Even his voice seemed to smile, it was getting preposterous.

“Hi…” And there was his own voice, naturally returning to its high-pitched version. _Wonderful._ Isak cleared his throat and gave it another shot.

“Halla!” _Better._

Daring to dart a glance at Even turned out to be a serious mistake, and Isak instantly lowered his eyes back to the ground, all the while feeling heat rising on his cheeks.

“Isak, right?”

Surprise made him lift his look again, and he nodded wordlessly.

“I just wondered whether you were successful in cleaning your shirt? The… jelly-pancake-disaster in the cafeteria the other week?”

“Ah, _that_ ” Isak scoffed with a self-conscious laugh. “Yeah, it did come out eventually.”

“That’s always a good thing,” Even muttered matter-of-factly, the corner of his mouth twitching.

Isak felt the blush deepening and swallowed hard. “Anyway, thanks for asking and, ah… your help back then, uhm…?”

“Even.”

“…Even.” _Smooth, Isak. Nice!_

In response Even gave a short “Sure” whereas his eyebrows did a little hop. His gaze was intense, unwavering, and teasing. _And oh so fucking blue!_ He was all laugh lines and dimples, and Isak forgot to fight the smile that was tugging at his own lips.

(Also, he maybe forgot to avert his eyes.)

“So…”

“Do you…”

They started to speak both at the same time but were interrupted by the bell. Glances locked for a second, Even pointed his index finger into the air.

“That’s my cue,” he said and Isak thought he saw a hint of disappointment in his features. It distracted him so far from his train of thoughts that he simply muttered, “Okay.”

A nod was Even’s way of bidding him goodbye, but before he left he gave Isak’s locker a swift punch, and it burst open as if it had never caused any trouble in the first place.

Blinking in shock, Isak called baffled thanks after him, but in the process he completely missed how the now uncaged biology book slipped from its askew position in the stuffed box and set out for the floor. Out of sheer reflex he bent down to catch it but instead his forehead banged loudly against the open metal door, forcing him to flinch with a yelp.

Pressing his palm against his hurting head, his eyes were burning with something between pain and embarrassment, so it took him a moment until Isak realized that Even was kneeling in front of him with that traitor of a book in his hands. It was a sight _– romantic, but surely in a silly manner –_ that would have done things to him, you know, under different circumstances. (Maybe that was something to remember later, when not having a hole to swallow him up right here and now wasn’t the biggest tragedy of the moment.)

“You okay?” Even asked while looking up at Isak, and he sounded honestly concerned, with no mocking in his expression.

 “Yeah, ja! I’m fine! Totally fine.” _He totally wasn’t._ In a dozen ways.

Even slowly got up, his gaze fixed on the smaller boy; and Isak’s vision started to become blurry.

“You should go, I’m fine, really. Just go!” He tried to insist, but Even seemed to have different plans.

_Why were they so close all of the sudden?_

Gently he pulled down Isak’s wrist and pushed the book into his hold. Then Even raised his hand again and carefully placed the palm against Isak’s temple. With a touch as light as a feather his thumb moved over the sore skin.

“It’s a bit red but it doesn’t look too bad.” Soft words, soft caress – but they did nothing to soothe him. If anything, they made Isak’s heart beat fast and hard, and the boy wondered if he was about to pass out. Not from pain or feeling stupid (which he did), but because his chest was just so full of warmth and longing and nothing else.

“Careful, Isak.” Another smile, but then all of them – words, touch, smile, _Even_ – were gone.

And those whispered words flittering through the air, as a gentle advice.

Or maybe it was a warning.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was a bit of a filler-chapter that I'm not quite happy with. Hopefully you had fun anyway! Please let me know what you think!
> 
> Hugs,  
> Snow


	3. Rain

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi, everyone~  
> I'm sorry, work's been crazy these days!  
> Anyway, thank you so so so much for your lovely comments! I love you, guys! (Apparently it's a thing here to answer them directly which is a new concept to me. On ff.net I used to simply write PMs. So, long story short, from now on I'm gonna do that, too.)
> 
> Now, have fun - and don't do drugs, kids, I'm serious!

Three – Rain

It all started and ended with Eskild. Everything was completely his fault, really. Okay, the rain, maybe he wasn’t responsible for the rain. _(Although, knowing Eskild, you couldn’t possibly rule that out for sure – especially since it was pouring wet cats and drenched dogs.)_

Until a week ago Isak hadn’t even owned an umbrella, but now he did. Eskild had bought a nice black one and had given it to him, lecturing, “This is a loan, Isak. A loan! I might want it back some day, but for now I just want you to stop running around like a wet poodle.” As if Eskild would carry around a plain black umbrella. _What a dork._

 _And no,_ Isak had not surprised them both by engulfing him in a sort of awkward hug because he had been touched by the sweet gesture. _No, Sire._

Anyway, temperatures were just above freezing point and it was raining. And Isak’s new umbrella was lying at home where it was warm, cozy, and _dry_. The irony wasn’t lost on him.

While he did manage to get to school mostly unharmed, his way back appeared to become a whole different story.

Sadly it wasn’t just the rain, and the forgotten umbrella. He’d also forgotten that it was his turn to provide his boys with beer for the next pregame, and Eskild was no help whatsoever as he was _working_. Furthermore, as if that wasn’t enough, Isak had just missed his tram and the shelter was barely being effective. _Fantastic._

So, what now?

Isak pulled the already soaked snapback from his head and ran his fingers through his hair with an annoyed groan. Couldn’t there be anything that would make the day suck any less?

Maybe it was a sign or a joke of fate, but this was the exact moment Even chose to come to a halt right next to him, looking gorgeous as ever despite the wicked weather.

“What’s up, Isak?”

Said boy couldn’t offer no explanation whatsoever for how a simple yet mischievous question had led to him and Even running through the rain together, but somehow it had. Not that you would have heard him complain. At all.

He remembered casually _(!!)_ mentioning his misery and Even agreeing to buy him some alcohol, but then, after arriving at the store, the boy had realized that he didn’t have his ID on him. _(Talking about bad luck.)_ Afterwards everything else kind of had happened in a blur, because-

“Come with me. You can warm up at my place while I get it.” And with that Even had grabbed his sleeve and pulled, and Isak followed – confused but without hesitation. He didn’t care about the heavy rain anymore, or the biting wind that drove with icy fingers through soaked layers of clothes.

All that mattered – all he could think of – was Even before him and that he didn’t let go the whole way.

Isak almost wished it would never end; however, when they finally entered Even’s room, he _was_ relieved as both of them were drenched to the skin.

“Damn, it’s freezing out there. Fuck!” Isak shivered and glanced at Even who carelessly threw his back bag into a corner of the room.

“Yeah, it’s probably going to turn into snow soon.” Peeling off his jacket he motioned Isak to do the same. “I’m going to get us towels and some clothes. We’re gonna catch a cold if we don’t change.”

Again everything became blurry, because _they were in Even’s room, wiggling out of clothes frantically, drying off and exchanging shy smiles and awkward laughter. Suddenly he was wearing sweatpants and a hoodie that belonged to Even, smelling just like him – and Isak might have been over the moon._ Also, maybe because Even had found some weed, and now they were sitting on the window sill, with the heating underneath working at full blast and the window opened a crack. There was smoke in the air, low music, and talking paired with chuckling – and _something else_ shimmering in between. Isak felt himself relaxing, though he also felt nervous excitement burning deep inside.

Bon Jovi’s _Roller Coaster_ was playing in the background, when Even rolled his eyes at him because Isak was still quivering from time to time.

“You forgot to dry you hair, silly,” he chided so fondly that Isak blushed terribly and bashfully lowered his head whereas Even reached for a towel and started to rub it through his hair.

Peeking from underneath the cloth, Isak watched how Even was being highly focused on his task, the joint hanging in one corner of his mouth _-and was that a thing, finding a boy so ridiculously beautiful?_

Even’s intense eyes met his and Isak quickly averted his gaze, his cheeks burning – and they grew even hotter once the movement on his head had slowed down to languid and gentle massaging.

_Holy shit, he was in deep. In deep trouble._

At some point, and he didn’t know how, Isak ended up on the floor, pillowed by a small rug beneath his back. While Even was kneeling above him, with his knees pressed against Isak’s hips and hands bracketing blond curls. They were high, flying high, _so high_. Isak was flying and floating and staring. He couldn’t stop staring! Staring at Even, and Isak was falling while Even was the sky.

Or heaven.

Isak laughed for no particular reason and bathed in the smile he received in return.

“Boy, you’re so high.”

Isak laughed some more. “And you are totally sober,” he declared.

Even’s expression softened with something Isak didn’t understand (or he really was stoned).

But then a movement distracted him, letting him forget the question on the tip of his tongue. Even had shifted above him, his weight now braced on one hand while the other was out of Isak’s vision.

Until it wasn’t anymore. Tender fingers fluttered against his cheek and he held his breath.

His eyes were fixed on Even as he felt the warm touch tickling slowly towards his lips. They parted on their own accord and he finally exhaled, right before the end of the joint was carefully placed into his mouth.

_Jesus._

Heat was streaming through his body, inflaming every inch of his skin. With hesitation born out of the need to prolong the moment Isak gradually closed his lips around the joint and _just breathed_.

Because he was too enthralled to blink, he didn’t miss how Even swallowed hard, the blown blue gaze following every little motion with unhidden interest – and he almost moaned out loud, stifling it into a quiet sigh just in time. Yet, apparently Even had still been able to hear it, if the expression on his face, something between pain, hunger, and desperate laughter, was any indication.

Eventually Even seemed to forgo the whole smoking thing as the cigarette was being abandoned between two of his fingers – out of reach for Isak, but he couldn’t care less, because Even’s thumb was drifting to his lips, dancing over the upper and barely grazing the lower one before returning to the first. The touch was deliberate, sinful, and _so good_ that he had to close his eyes. At the same time it was too much, Isak was feeling too much, too much all at once – so much heat, so much want.

It was unbearable and he never wanted it to stop.

Was that something _barely even friends_ did?

All he knew was that it probably was the most erotic thing he’d ever experienced.

“Isak…” The way Even whispered his name made him clench his hands to fists, and then there was a hot breath ghosting over his face.

_Please…!_

He was so far gone that it took him a moment until he noticed a sharp ringing cutting through their haze, and suddenly Even was gone. Blinking in utter confusion Isak pushed himself up and glanced at him questioningly where he was standing a few feet away with a cell pressed against his ear, mouthing a silent _Sorry_.

Shaking the head to clear his mind, Isak tried to ignore how cold he was feeling yet again without Even’s shielding warmth.

It didn’t take long for Even to finish the call and he threw him another apologetic look. “That was my mum. She will be home soon.”

“Oh, yeah okay,” Isak stuttered and cursed himself for his lack of nonchalance. “It’s late anyway, I should go.” _Damn, why did he sound so disappointed?_

However, the sudden weight on his chest was lifted slightly since Even didn’t seem all that happy himself as he nodded in agreement and extended one hand to help Isak stand up.

( _Thank God_ for that because his knees were buckling like crazy.)

“Keep the clothes, I don’t need them at the moment.” Their eyes locked once more and the tension was building up again. Feeling that he would never leave if not right now, Isak turned away and murmured a _thank you_.

With his wet belongings bundled up and his shoes on, he faced Even one last time, who hesitantly stepped closer. For a sweetly tortuous moment Isak thought he would say, _do_ something, but then Even simply gave a little wave and offered sincerely, “It was _nice_ , spending the afternoon with you, Isak.”

 _Nice_ was an interesting way of putting it, but still, something fluttered playfully in his belly, and with a speechless nod, Isak fled, _because Even had smiled at him again_ , that soft, beautiful smile of his, and _Fuck, what were they doing??_

_(Also please, could they keep doing it…?)_

When he came home that night, disheveled, breathless, and sneezing, Eskild gave him a pointed look, throwing his hands up in resignation.

“What did I even buy that umbrella for, Isak?”

_Oh, for God’s sake._

“I promise, I’ll never forget it again,” he sniffed grumpily in response, but it was all for show and reputation.

Because _Oh boy!_ was he glad he had forgotten it today.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, what do you think? Please let me know if you liked it!
> 
> Hugs,  
> Snow


	4. Tram

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m so sorry! It took me forever to write this little b… of a chapter, because apparently we have a plot now? In the end I decided to let those two idiots do want the heck they want, ‘cause they certainly don’t listen to me anymore. Humpf.
> 
> Also, this chapter may be a tad angsty but it’s still fluffy (or so I hope). It’s probably as angsty as this story gets; so no worries!
> 
> Anyway, thanks for being patient. Have fun!

Four – Tram

_Fuck. Fuck. Fuck!_

Cursing under his breath, Isak braced himself on his knees as he watched the back lights of his tram glaring at him smugly from far, _too far_ away. Fuck. What freaking problem did Murphy have with him lately?!

For a moment he allowed frustration and anger at himself consume his mind until resignation took over; and he exhaled long and unsteadily. Straightening, he concentrated on calming the breathing that had become ragged due to his futile running, and pulled out his phone. His ill-fated phone that had died sometime during the night because he had forgotten to plug in the charger. Which in turn had killed the alarm and therefore his chance to arrive at school on time. _Marvelous!_

Groaning, Isak quickly texted Jonas to let him know about his fate (and beg him to make some plausible excuse to the teacher), just before his phone – after hurriedly being charged for about fifteen minutes this morning – returned to the happy hunting grounds with a miserable beep.

As it was of no use anymore he pushed it deep into his jeans pocket and let his bag slump to the ground. With twenty minutes to spare and nothing to entertain him, Isak contemplated burying his nose in one of his books. However, given the current state of chaos his mind was in, he had no illusions that it’d have been a waste of effort.

Just like every attempt of thinking about something else than Even really was.

The same Even he hadn’t seen in about two weeks because the boy in question hadn’t been at school ever since.

The first few days after…well, _The Afternoon_ , Isak had been nervous and excited in thousand different ways, each of them thrilling, new, and intoxicating. Torn between dread and longing, he’d been desperate to face Even again, but to his utter confusion (and heartbreak, don’t tell anyone) he had waited in vain.

He wondered if Even had merely caught a cold (running through a storm could do that to you), which of course he didn’t hope for, but then there was this nagging fear that maybe it had something to do with Isak himself. The timing couldn’t have been that much of a coincidence, right?

So, with the _waiting_ _day in, day out_ came the doubts.

Was Even avoiding him? Did he regret what had happened? (What _had_ happened anyway? Nothing really, but it had been _everything_ to Isak. He could still feel the flutter of a touch and the ghost of a breath on his lips. A sweet burning spreading deliciously trough his veins.) Was he trying to let Isak down gently by simply waiting until there was enough water under the bridge?

After all, what did someone as perfect as Even need _someone like Isak_ for…? A gawky teenager who had yet to find his way to manhood, who had no idea _how to relationship_ properly or what it needed to become sexy and alluring. He was nothing like Even who had the God-given talent to be hot, smart, and funny – yet fucking cool all the same.

The thought stung. Hurt even.

Yet it wasn’t the only reason why Isak started to feel anxious. He was worried that something bad _had_ happened to Even – and Isak still had no way of contacting him to find out. Idiot that he was he’d been too distracted to think of asking Even for his number, and when he finally made up his mind to approach Even’s classmates, they couldn’t provide him with any information either.

His only option – showing up uninvited and hysterical on Even’s doorstep – was no option at all, because _yeah…no._ That would have brought _awkward_ _and_ _pathetic_ to a whole new level.

Really, it was no wonder that now after nearly two weeks of self-loathing, worrying and silly hope (and no good night’s sleep whatsoever), his nerves were fried. He was jumpy, skittish, and he’d already overslept twice this week.

With another groan Isak pulled at his hair and felt more than a little relieved when the next tram finally arrived and therefore stopped his pondering.

His relief, however, was short-lived. He was just about to decide on a seat when suddenly his blood run cold and his body froze of its own accord.

Even.

What were the odds? He couldn’t believe it. After all the longing and wondering and fantasizing, seeing Even so out of the blue came like a shock to Isak, leaving him staring speechlessly for a minute. All he could do was drinking in the boy he had spent thinking of for the better part of two weeks.

Only a few meters away Even was leaning heavily against a pole, with clothes pulled tightly around his frame as if he was cold and his head hung low, the attention entirely on his phone.

Isak’s heart was beating erratically in his chest and his palms became sweaty as he was weighing up his options. Was it possible to hide on an almost empty tram? Probably not. Besides, with an unexpected heap of courage that surprised himself, he just thought _Fuck it!_ and closed the distance between them.

From up close Even looked tired, and maybe sad? But mostly tired. Yet, even like this and carrying a somber expression paired with a dim pout, he was still beautiful. It made Isak excited, hot, cold, and terrified. In a moment of hesitation he pressed his lips together before he settled for a simple “Hi”, willing his voice to sound as casual as possible.

Even startled, but his glance barely touched Isak and quickly returned to the screen.

“Hey,” he mumbled quietly and Isak blinked in confusion. What was going on? This wasn’t _brightly shining, mischievous, and ever smiley Even_. This wasn’t his Even at all. (Not that he was _his_ either, but yeah, details.) Nervously rubbing his fingers, Isak stared outside without really seeing anything, but then his eyes almost automatically flickered back to the boy in front of him.

Even, who had put his phone away at least, still wasn’t looking at Isak. Also, he didn’t offer no smile, no teasing comment, no reaction whatsoever – and Isak found himself lost on how to go on. Up until now it had always been Even taking the lead and he had followed, quite literally sometimes, without batting an eyelash. Now, there was no following as Even hardly moved at all, only swaying slightly with the gentle rhythm of the train.

“You okay?” Isak tried again. _Not really witty, though._

“’S fine.” _Well, what did you expect?_

“Uhm… did you oversleep, too?”

“Huh?” There, he almost glanced at Isak. That counted as a win, yes?

“You know, ‘cause we’re kinda hopelessly too late at this point?”

“Yeah, no, I… I couldn’t really bring myself to get out of bed,” Even replied quietly and stared at his feet.

“Oh…” Not really sure how respond to that, Isak joked weakly, “Don’t I know _that_ feeling!” But his attempt fell flat when Eve balled his hands to fists instead of showing any sign of amusement.

“Uhm…” _Fuck_. He had no idea what he was doing wrong, but seeing Even so… _defeated_ was all kinds of scary.

“So…where have you been?” he eventually wondered cautiously. “Were…were you sick or something?”

“Or something,” Even repeated with a small huff and more to himself. However, he then did glimpse at Isak for a split second. “Sort of, yeah.”

“Oh, good!” Isak exhaled a sigh of relief, only to have his face turned not just pale but white as he realized what he’d just said. _You idiot!_

“Ugh, no! I didn’t mean _good_ as in _good, you were sick_! I just – what I meant is that maybe your absence could have been my fault? You see, I was scared, kind of, that it had something to do with me, that I made you run for the hills – which makes me sound like a self-centered, egoistic jerk, now that I’ve said it out loud? But I was worried about you and I couldn’t reach you, so it all spiraled a bit out of control, I guess and…ugh, shit.”

Horrified Isak drew in a long breath after basically watching his own miserable self babble like some sort of a weird out-of-body experience.

“What I’m trying to say is that I’m sorry you were sick and I hope you’re feeling better now. Please ignore the rest.”

For a few painfully awkward seconds nothing happened, until Even blinked once, twice, and while his posture seemed to relax a bit, he _finally_ lifted his head to fixate his gaze on Isak. To really look at him.

(Apparently all it took was for Isak to embarrass himself. Yeah, sure, okay.)

Holding his breath, Isak waited for Even to say something in response – and for a moment he actually gave that impression, only to pause, tilt his head, and wrinkle his brow.

“…What happened to you hair?” probably wasn’t what either of them had expected to be said at that instant, so when Isak started to blush a bright pink, it was only because he hadn’t been prepared for the sudden change of topic. 

“Ugh…” Nervously he drove his fingers into said, currently very chaotic hair, pulling at the audacious strands to no avail, and muttered something indistinct into his non-existing beard.

“What?”

Isak grunted bashfully while threading his hand through the messy curls. “When I run for the tram, I lost my snapback. It fell into a puddle-”

“Stop-“

“So I couldn’t put it back on and now-“

“Isak, stop, you’re making it worse.” Before Isak knew what was happening Even had grabbed his wrist in a loose hold to save Isak’s hair from the uncoordinated ruffling.

Isak, who had faltered mid-sentence, opened his mouth like a freaking fish, and his eyes widened almost comically as Even gave a little tug until they stood quite literally toe-to-toe. Just then the taller boy let go of Isak’s wrist and carefully brought his own hands up to the disheveled golden locks. Gently but with purpose he guided Isak to duck his head a little, and Isak obeyed, his forehead sinking against Even’s collarbone where his jacket had come open.

Long, slender fingers started to weave through his hair, trying to undo the curly mess whereas Isak’s face was burning hot from cheeks to ears. While that was more due to being amazingly close to Even, Isak still wondered what they might have looked like to other passengers. His field of vision, though, was limited anyway and he stopped caring altogether the moment Even began speaking quietly.

“It wasn’t you fault, Isak.”

Isak let out a small sigh and dared to close his eyes, an odd sensation of comfort hanging around them. Feeling warmth radiating from Even, together with his unique scent, and the way that boy seemed to shield him from the rest of the world calmed him and his raging insecurities almost on the spot.

“You sure?” he still couldn’t quite restrain himself from whispering.

Even nodded against his head and the soft touching there continued, sending a number of sparks into Isak’s tummy.

“Sometimes... sometimes it just feels like there’s someone else taking over the reins of your life. Like…you know, like your life is a movie and you are the director, but somebody else keeps sitting in your chair and doing a crappy job. You know what I mean?”

“Hmm,” Isak hummed, but maybe it was a reaction to the warm palm that was now resting cozily in the nape of his neck, sending goosebumps like sweetly tickling rain down his back.

“I don’t totally agree, though." It earned him a questioning sound from above and Isak absently moved his fingertips over the rough texture of Even’s jacket lapels. (When exactly did he bury them there anyhow?)

“I’d like to think that everything that can happen will happen… as in parallel universes? That there’s a different universe for every decision you make – the possibilities are endless. Infinite.”

“Huh…” It was Even’s turn to hum and after a moment of silence he lifted his shoulder in a half shrug. “I don’t like it.”

“Why not?” As if to soothe and almost playfully Isak rubbed his nose against Even’s shirt. The fingers in the back of his neck tightened their grip slightly only to curl affectionately trough his hairline, both of it making Isak shiver pleasantly.

“Because it means that somewhere, in one of those universes, there is an Even who always makes the right choice. And I…I’d envy him for that.”

The words were heavy with some hidden meaning, so Isak considered them carefully while the need to cheer Even up multiplied. “Your choices may not feel perfect all the time,” he then replied slowly. “But they’re still the right ones, because you’re the one making them.”

“…Wow...Deep.” Something tight in Isak chest unraveled like a blossoming flower because he recognized a teasing maybe even amused undertone in Even’s words. Also, there was a soft pressure on the crown of his head, like the delicate touch of lips.

“Right?” he smirked, trying to ignore the dancing tremor in his chest and aiming at another attempt to lighten the mood. “Praise me; I’m the wisest of them all.”

“Uh-huh… Hey, wise man?” _Was he being mocked at now? Impossible._

“Ja?” _Fake it till you make it, as they said._

“I think we just missed our stop.”

“HUH?!” Isak jerked away – nearly socking Even on the jaw in the process – and frantically looked outside, only to realize that they in fact just missed their stop.

“You’ve got to be kidding me.” Out of the corner of his eye he saw Even biting down on his lower lip, and it encouraged Isak to face him again. _(Hah, he was close now, no doubt about it.)_

“At least tell me, that my hair looks great now?” he demanded flatly – _and ah yes, there it was._ (He wanted to high-five himself.)

“Somehow it got worse, I’m afraid.” It was by no means all-teeth-showing laughter, but it was the first smile Even gave him this morning. It was open and honest, and it was more than enough. (And so _so_ pretty.)

“Sorry.” _Obviously not very convincing._

Isak simply smiled back, butterflies in belly and all that, but he added a dramatic sigh for good measure. When the next tram stop was announced he hesitantly offered his hand (with his cheeks blushing and his heart beating wildly in his chest).

“You ready to run?”

Even nodded, emotions still tugging at his lips, and reached for Isak.

It didn’t matter that no amount of running would have saved them from being late or that people gaped at them strangely. It didn’t matter that some problems couldn’t be solved with words or smiles.

All that counted, for now, was that Isak was moving forward and Even was following.

 

Several hours later Isak was rummaging through his stuff to find his keys to the apartment, when suddenly a piece of paper caught his attention. With his head tilted in confusion, he pulled it out of his jacket pocket and unfolded it. To his surprise it was a doodle with two panels. The one on the left obviously showed his very own self (snapback included), staring sadly at his phone. The right one, titled with “Somewhere in another universe”, was the chat window of a smart phone. The contact details simply said ‘Even’ _(with his cell number underneath!)_ and in the window below a single message was written:

**Thank you**

After finally freeing his keys, Isak stumbled into the apartment, not even bothering to undress first, and jogged to his room. Fumbling he plugged the charger into his phone and impatiently waited for it to come back to life. Quickly he then saved Even’s number and with no hesitation this time he typed his reply.

_To Even (15.49)_

**You’re welcome :) No matter how bad the day, you can always count on me.**

_Even (15.51)_

**I’ll remember that, oh wisest of them all.**

**:) <3**

Isak caught the tip of his tongue between his lips, excitement turning him into a stupidly grinning idiot.

_To Even (15.51)_

**< 3**

But a happy idiot indeed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Gosh, I’m so relieved to have finished this. I honestly have no idea if it’s good or bad…Please let know what you think??
> 
> On a side note: I’m not going to further address Even’s illness in this story – and that’s on purpose but by no means out of disrespect. If (and that’s a big if) there’s a sequel, I’ll do it then, but for now I’m leaving it to your interpretation.
> 
> Hugs,  
> Snow


End file.
